Chapter 249: Threat

The Crimson Gold Vine underwent a transformation.

As Qin Sang expected, the moment the Old Man with a Faulty Earth picked the fruit, their disguise was exposed by the monkey horde. Roars like thunder threatened to overturn the cavern! All the flying monkeys immediately forgot about Qin Sang, their eyes fixed on the Old Man with a Faulty Earth in the center of the lake, displaying astonishing fury and ferocity. Among them, the divine monkeys Qin Sang had stimulated emitted an aura absolutely no weaker than that of the Old Man with a Faulty Earth! A great battle was imminent!

Everything was unfolding according to Qin Sang's plan, but when his gaze crossed the large lake and landed on the Old Man with a Faulty Earth, he found the old man was ignoring everything else, staring intently at him. Their eyes met in the air. The Old Man with a Faulty Earth showed no hint of panic, a mocking smile appearing on his face. Qin Sang's heart sank.

Immediately afterward, in his primordial spirit space, the wisp of Thousand Illusion Divine Sound left by the Old Man with a Faulty Earth subtly vibrated, and the old man's voice echoed like a bolt from the blue. "I never expected to sense the aura of the Heart-Eating Worm from Brother Qin's primordial spirit. It's been a long time! As far as this old man knows, the Heart-Eating Worm Gu, used to control primordial spirits, is a unique technique of the Kuiyin Sect. Brother Qin's identity is truly not simple!"

Qin Sang's expression drastically changed, his figure stiffening abruptly, his limbs turning cold. When the Thousand Illusion Divine Sound had first intruded into his primordial spirit space, he had used his spiritual sense to conceal the Heart-Eating Worm. Yet, the Old Man with a Faulty Earth had seen through it. Could he be a member of the Kuiyin Sect? No, that's not right! If the Old Man with a Faulty Earth were from the Kuiyin Sect, given his cultivation level, he would certainly be able to control the Heart-Eating Worm Gu and should have discovered Qin Sang's identity long before they entered the ancient dwelling. Judging by his tone, he hadn't detected the Heart-Eating Worm itself, but rather sensed its aura within Qin Sang's primordial spirit space. This indicated that he had encountered the Heart-Eating Worm before and knew it originated from the Kuiyin Sect. For Qin Sang, the Heart-Eating Worm was arguably his biggest secret, apart from the Jade Buddha. With his identity exposed, even if he escaped the cavern now, should the Old Man with a Faulty Earth reveal it to Shaohua Mountain, Qin Sang would surely be purged. The only good news was that the Old Man with a Faulty Earth showed no intention of killing him. In his eyes, Qin Sang was an infiltrator who had successfully penetrated Shaohua Mountain. If the old man had other intentions, Qin Sang alive would certainly be more valuable than dead.

Qin Sang's mind reeled, a jumbled mess of thoughts. His feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move a single step.

At that moment, the Old Man with a Faulty Earth suddenly moved, his figure like lightning, fleeing out of the lava lake. Just as the monkey horde was about to surround him, the sea of flames Qin Sang had created suddenly underwent a strange change. Amidst raging winds and colossal waves, an immense divine sound power abruptly emerged, enveloping a conch-shaped magic treasure. Before this, Qin Sang had never detected the conch's presence.

The conch magic treasure hummed and whined, and the Thousand Illusion Divine Sound, aided by the treasure, surged at an astonishing speed. The Thousand Illusion Divine Sound Qin Sang had previously controlled was merely a small fraction of this power, like an iceberg hidden beneath the water. A far greater force had remained concealed, biding its time, only now exploding forth. This concealment was utterly perfect; neither Qin Sang nor the fire-flying monkeys had detected it!

From the very beginning, when the Old Man with a Faulty Earth had ordered him to scout ahead, Qin Sang had felt something was odd. The Thousand Illusion Divine Sound the Old Man with a Faulty Earth had given him was a Core Formation stage power. It was illogical for Qin Sang, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to control it so easily, without any struggle. Later, as he repeatedly scouted ahead and encountered numerous dangers, including life-threatening crises, the Thousand Illusion Divine Sound had remained dormant, with Qin Sang relying solely on his own quick wit to overcome them. This had somewhat reduced Qin Sang's suspicions, leading him to a hopeful thought that perhaps the Thousand Illusion Divine Sound was special and could be lent to others. After all, sonic abilities were extremely rare, and any strange capabilities were possible.

Only now did he realize that this power had always been under the Old Man with a Faulty Earth's control. The old man had appeared to be fully focused on sensing the flying monkeys' movements, but was actually multitasking, manipulating the Thousand Illusion Divine Sound. Qin Sang's ability to freely control the Thousand Illusion Divine Sound was merely an illusion created by the Old Man with a Faulty Earth! Realizing this, Qin Sang's expression turned incredibly bitter. He had believed he was creating a formidable enemy for the Old Man with a Faulty Earth, when in reality, he had been a mere decoy, helping the old man gather most of the monkey horde.

Crucially, all the coalesced flying monkeys in the lava lake had been drawn to Qin Sang. When the conch surfaced, the power of the Thousand Illusion Divine Sound instantly surged, transforming into numerous ropes that swiftly coiled around the flying monkeys, then tightened abruptly, instantly immobilizing them all. At that moment, a massive cocoon appeared at the edge of the lava lake. The flying monkeys struggled violently inside the cocoon, which swelled and contracted as if alive and breathing. This confinement could not last. Soon, countless cracks appeared on the cocoon, and it was on the verge of being torn apart. However, the cocoon's presence created a brief opening for the old man.

'Boom!' The cocoon shattered completely, and the divine monkeys gave chase. The Old Man with a Faulty Earth had not yet managed to escape the lava. He coldly watched the overwhelming shadow of staffs, then suddenly roared like thunder. "Defend!" The conch vibrated violently, the divine sound transforming into a shield. The staff shadows struck the sound shield in unison. The Old Man with a Faulty Earth's face turned pale, and his body was sent flying like a cannonball. However, this was precisely his intention. Using the conch to clear a path, he tumbled out of the lava lake and slammed into the stone cavern wall. He straightened himself, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and cast a sinister smile at the raging, helpless monkeys in the lava lake. Then, he opened his palm, looked at the intact fruit, and laughed several times.

Qin Sang stared blankly at the Old Man with a Faulty Earth's actions.

Ignoring Qin Sang, the Old Man with a Faulty Earth held the Crimson Gold Vine fruit in one hand. With the other, he carefully gathered spiritual energy, shaping it into a sharp blade. He poked the fruit's skin, but to his surprise, the Crimson Gold Vine fruit was incredibly hard. He tried several more times, increasing his force, but it remained completely undamaged. He hadn't expected the fruit to be so resilient; even a Core Formation cultivator couldn't harm it.

The Old Man with a Faulty Earth frowned deeply, his palm stroking the fruit. After a long period of contemplation, his eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly took out a jade slip and pressed it against his forehead. A short while later, the Old Man with a Faulty Earth opened his eyes, a look of pleasant surprise in them as he gazed at the fruit. He then extended a finger and swiftly drew peculiar runes onto the fruit's surface using spiritual energy.

Qin Sang stood by, suppressing the unease in his heart. He was also curious about the fruit and observed closely, finding that he had never seen these runes before. They seemed to have a hint of artifact refining technique, yet also carried the essence of alchemy, truly peculiar.

As rune after rune merged into the fruit, the Old Man with a Faulty Earth's movements became faster and faster, and the fruit finally began to change. It was as if a mundane fruit was slowly decaying in nature, but what was displayed before Qin Sang was this spiritual fruit decaying ten million times faster. In the blink of an eye, the golden skin's luster dimmed, turning dark gold, then covered in grey, before finally becoming completely black and shattering, revealing the pulp within.